There are three facts you should know about hummingbirds: a group of them is called a choir; they're the only non-insects that can hover; and they travel in packs to avoid their mortal enemies, the wasps. All right, so that last one is made-up. Or it was, until Bruneras published Hummingbird, his new action game where you play a mother hummingbird who leads her babies to the nest.
The controls are fairly simple: tap repeatedly on the left side of the screen to fly left and on the right side of the screen to fly right. Hold on one side of the screen and tap repeatedly on the other to fly straight up. The babies (and most of your other allies) will follow you around when you touch them, but will abandon you if they touch a wasp. Touching a wasp yourself will cost you a life and scatter tiny green and red feathers all over. (Sad face.) For bonus points — which you'll need to unlock all the level packs — drink from all the flowers you find growing on the lovely scenery. You also get more points for leading more babies to the nest at once.
Learning to navigate is a challenge at first, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be zipping around collecting baby hummingbirds and butterflies and bats in no time. Thankfully, Hummingbird Game is untimed, so you can take as much time as you want to admire the gorgeous artwork and the little details that truly make this game shine. (Each type of animal moves differently! You can fly around the title screen! Baby ruby-throated hummingbirds really are brown!) There are a few flaws: a way to select individual levels within a stage would be wonderful, as would an in-game volume control. (The sound and music are lovely, but I'm not sure the other passengers on the bus would agree.) Soon enough, you'll find yourself cursing the wasps as you try to get just one more dragonfly into your little avian entourage, and wondering how your favorite mobile device ever lived without this wonderful little game.
NOTE: This game was played and reviewed on the LG Optimus L9. Game was available in the North American market at the time of publication, but may not be available in other territories. Please see individual app market pages for purchasing info.
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